The music of the Cuban pianist Omar Sosa has a mystical air without exception; everything comes usually from the focus of a small group, well connected with strong emotion and group intimacy. This does not mean that these strong essences could not have the same charm in an interpretation on a larger scale.

This is what is happening on the "Essensual" album, recorded in Hamburg in NDR Bigband, with songs from the previous albums, refined and very orchestrated, offering us two points of admiration: the music of the author, the glamour amplified by the "claves" pulse and by the blowers and the interpretation of this fabulous orchestra, which took infernal scores and accompanied great musicians with impressive improvisers and super-musicians and which now produces perfectly the magnitude of Sosa's composition. The enigmatic atmosphere still remains, the spiritual binder dominates the ensemble, but the orchestra causes an amplified thrill and sends us closer to Cuba and to its musical features.

If you have not met Omar Sosa yet, it is a good idea to start with one of his more intimate albums, but if you are more interested in well-calibrated ensembles and large collaborations, "Essensual" becomes essential.